What type of authority do treatises such as "Corbin on Contracts" represent?

Treatises like "Corbin on Contracts" are considered secondary authority because they provide commentary, analysis, and synthesis of the law rather than establishing legal rules themselves. Secondary authorities help legal professionals understand complex areas of law, clarify legal principles, and provide insights based on primary sources, such as statutes and case law. They are valuable for research and persuasive argumentation but do not carry the force of law in the same way that primary sources do.

Primary authority consists of case law, statutes, and regulations that are legally binding, while tertiary authority refers to sources that compile or summarize primary and secondary materials, such as encyclopedias or legal dictionaries. Binding authority refers specifically to sources that must be followed by courts, which is not applicable to treatises as they do not impose legal obligations but rather serve as guides or references in understanding legal principles.